Improvement in dumping-cars



UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ELLIOTT, JOHN P. HARRINGTON, AND WILLIAM R. DAVENPORT, OF ERIE,PA., ASSIGNORS TO ERIE OAR-WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN DUMPlNG-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,966, dated November25, 1873; application filed October 24, 1873.

Fig. 2 represents a plan of the under side of the car with one of thetrucks removed to show the parts otherwise concealed by it. Figs. 3, 4,and 5 represent detailed portions of the car, which will be hereaftermore particularly referred to.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several separatefigures, denote like parts in all of the drawings.

In coal-dumping cars which have a hopperehaped lnterior, and to whichkind of cars our invention relates, the heaviest part of the load iscarried in the weakest part of the car; and

moreover, from the nature of their use or employment, are subject togreat liability to breakage or damage, and consequently to frequentrepair.

The nature and object of our invention consist in themanner in which wehave constructed our coaldumping car; in its detail, as will behereafter fully explained, so as to strengthen it where the heaviestpart of the load and strain come upon the car; and also I in soconstructing those parts most apt to give way as that they may bereadily and speedily repaired.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings, firstpremising that the description will be most particularly confined tothose parts of the car which we deem new and most important, andespecially as we have shown in the drawings the entire construction inall of its details.

The transverse timbers A B of the truck frame are supported in the sideframes 0- a,

which are of iron, and have between them, at their ends and centralportion, springs b b, for easing the load upon the trucks. To the toptimber A is firmly bolted the wrought-iron yoke c, more distinctly seenin Fig. 4, to the ears or loops of which the brake-hangers dare attachedby their upper ends, the lower ends of said hangers being bolted to thebrakeblocks 0, which brake-blocks in turn are bolted to the brakebeam D.The brake-beam D is further connected with the transverse timber A, orwith the truck-frame, by the suspensionchains 6, so that this connectionbetween the truck-frames and their brake blocks or beam is very secure,and readily got at for repair or renewal when necessary. The centerstringer of the car-body is shown at E, and the center bearers or crossbearers are seen at F F. These center bearers are supported in ironstirrups f, at their ends, which 'stirrups are bolted to the side sillsG of the car-body, and at their centers they are bolted to the centerstringer E, as seen at 9, Fig. 1. This construction ties the car firmlytogether at the center, and gives great support to the floor of the carat the part where the greatest weight comes and is carried. To thecenter bearers F F are attached rods h h, to which the hingesi i of thedropping doors or bottoms H H are connected. These dropping doors orbottoms are raised and held up by a chain, j, which winds around across-shaft supported .in the upper central portion of the car-body,which shaft maybe turned by crank applied to its projecting end, and beheld with or by a pawl-andratchet arrangement, as at k; but as such aholding mechanism is liable to give way, and

so dump the load. we further provide safetystraps l l, which slide onthe rods 71. h, underneath the doors, and when these safety-straps aremoved underneath the doors, and retained there by pins or other holders,there can be no involuntary dumping or loss of the load. When the loadis to be dumped then these safety-straps are slid from underneath thedoors, and the pawl is raised from its ratchet, and the doors are freeto drop and allow the load to run out. The ends of the car, as seen atFig. 3, we make very strong and capable of resisting the casualties thatthis portion of the ear is frequently subjected to. The corner-posts I Iare firmly united by the top and bottom cross-pieces J and K,constituting a rectangular frame, which frame is trussed by the uprightand diagonal braces m n, and by a cross tie-rod, 0, running through thelower ends of the corner-posts, and vertical rods 9 9, passing from andthrough the top piece or plate J, and down through the draw-timbers L L,thus binding the whole to gether and making a very strong and rigid end,while other cars for a similar purpose are very weak at these points. AtM is an additional cross-piece, to which the floor of the car may befastened, and which also aids in strengthening the ends of the car. Thecenter stringer E extends throughout the length of the car-body andsomewhat beyond its ends, and to the sides of its ends are boltedcheek-pieces N, for the double purpose of adding strength to that partof the stringer, and to fasten the draw arrangement more securely to.The stringer E is slotted at M for inserting, removing, and replacingthe bolts that hold the draw-bar O to the stringer and cheek pieces.These bolts that hold the draw arrangement have a very trying service toperform, and are frequently broken, and must be replaced by others. Theslots 1 1' admit of the {)eady removal and replacing of the draw-bar Thewheels, axles, journals, journal-boxes, brake-levers, and draw-bars notconstituting any part of our claims we do not particularly describethem. They are all shown in the drawings.

Having thus fully described our improvements in coal-dumping cars, whatwe claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the transverse timbers A B of the truck-frame,the yoke c, hinged brake-hangers d, and brake-blocks O, as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination of the center bearers F F, side sills G G, centerstringer E, and iron. stirrups ff, as and for the purpose described andrepresented.

3. The combination of the rods h h, drops H H hinged thereto, andsafety-straps l l, as and for the purpose described and represented.

4. The combination of the center stringer E, slotted as at 1' 1*, andthe cheek-pieces NN, for strengthening said stringer, and forfacilitating the removal and replacing of the draw arran geinent O, asdescribed and represented.

JOHN ELLIOTT. JOHN P. HARRINGTON.

WILLIAM R. DAVENPORT. \Vitnesses:

EDWIN MoK. WVHILTEY, MATTH W .ARMSTRONG.

